Mouse in the house

[FloorCandy]

I'm a big proponent of rat/mouse poison. Have used it for a decade whenever I've had rats. (which were a big problem when I lived in Seattle.)

Have never accidentally killed a dog, cat or bird.

The notion that rat poison accidentally kills pets and/or children is largely a myth. the most common household thing that poisons pets is antifreeze.

I lived in Brooklyn for several years, one day I was walking my dogs, as my shar pei was going potty, a lady ran over and told me someone dumped rat poison on the ground there, because the adjacent lot was infested. I picked up my pug, and I pulled my shar pei off the grass. Several steps later she started to stumble, less than half a block away I had to carry her, I called my husband and he ubered home from work, and she was having seizures already by the time he got home. The Uber I called wouldn’t let me bring her, so I had no way to get to the vet. She passed within minutes of my husband getting home. It’s a terrible death, accidents happen, and if they do it’s a hard lesson. There was no sign or indication there was poison put down, a child could have dropped something and then put it in their mouth. I’m not a “spare the mouse or rat” kind of person, I used snap traps, worst injury in an accident is maybe a cut or broken finger. I’m not saying everyone will encounter illegally placed poison, but there are just so many ways poison can get out. My brother did have an outside cat that the vet suspected got into antifreeze, that is a longer death, but not as violent and terrible imo.

 

[CovidtimeQuail]

I have a giant box of poison bait I bought and used before reconsidering. The bait was taken; A mouse or rat died somewhere but I don't want the guilt of not knowing if something then ate that something.

I'll still use it, but only in a bait trap where the mouse/rat is not expected to be able to escape.

 

[MomFoldingLaundry]

I lived in Brooklyn for several years, one day I was walking my dogs, as my shar pei was going potty, a lady ran over and told me someone dumped rat poison on the ground there, because the adjacent lot was infested. I picked up my pug, and I pulled my shar pei off the grass. Several steps later she started to stumble, less than half a block away I had to carry her, I called my husband and he ubered home from work, and she was having seizures already by the time he got home. The Uber I called wouldn’t let me bring her, so I had no way to get to the vet. She passed within minutes of my husband getting home. It’s a terrible death, accidents happen, and if they do it’s a hard lesson. There was no sign or indication there was poison put down, a child could have dropped something and then put it in their mouth. I’m not a “spare the mouse or rat” kind of person, I used snap traps, worst injury in an accident is maybe a cut or broken finger. I’m not saying everyone will encounter illegally placed poison, but there are just so many ways poison can get out. My brother did have an outside cat that the vet suspected got into antifreeze, that is a longer death, but not as violent and terrible imo.

I probably should have said "when used as directed."

It is, of course, never okay to just spread rat poison willy-nilly. If it is out in the open, cats, dogs and birds will get at it.

But they do make specific docks for rat baits, which are designed so that only small rodents can access it. I've had luck putting rat bait inside the hole of a cinder block, under a pile of wood. Or at the very bottom of an outdoor shed, inside a bucket, under some saws and other sharp stuff...

 

[HillGuy]

I wrapped 1/4" hardware cloth around the bottom 2-1/2' of my pen. Above that it's 1/2" So far so good. There are signs of mice on the outside from spilled food, but if that's kept under control those signs ( droppings) disappear too.